MONDAY UPDATES: Pettis County reports two COVID-19 related deaths; second highest number of deaths in mid-Missouri
UPDATE 6:20 P.M.: Pettis County Health Department is reporting two more deaths related to COVID-19 since their last update Friday.
According to the department, the total number of cases went up 59 to 1,727.
The number of new active cases went down 21 to 451.
The number of recoveries rose by over seven percent to 1,250.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 remained the same at 18.
The county's positivity rate is 11.7-percent, as of the latest update on Oct. 17.
Three key metrics according to the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) when it comes to hospitals are medical bed availability, ICU availability and ventilator availability.
According to the MHA, ventilator and bed availability are both in the green nearing the next level. The ICU availability is in the yellow at 29-percent.
Boone County hospitalization numbers near record high from a week ago
UPDATE 5:30 P.M.: Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services is reporting 25 new cases, the lowest new case county since Oct. 12.
The number of active cases has dropped 49 to 340. This is the lowest number of active cases in the county since Oct. 13 registered 338 cases.
The county is reporting 5,956 total cases and 5,600 recoveries according to the new dashboard.
The five-day average continues to trend down, dropping to 43 Monday from a weekend spike of 52 on both Saturday and Sunday.
The health department is reporting another near record high number of hospitalizations. The department is reporting 90 hospitalizations, the record is 91 set one week ago on Oct. 19.
Boone County residents make up 20-percent of all hospitalizations.
The county is reporting 31 patients in the ICU and 15 of them are on ventilators.
According to the Boone County COVID-19 Information Hub, there are still no issues with hospitals.
The CPS 14-day rate has gone up slightly to 40.9, the highest its been since Sept. 29.
The district has been slightly up since Oct. 14 but remained in the 39 to 41 range for the last week.
Multiple mid-Missouri counties reporting deaths due to coronavirus
UPDATE 4:21 P.M.: Randolph, Moniteau and Osage County are all reporting one COVID-19 death per county as they all update new information for their counties.
The Osage County Health Department is reporting one new death releated to the novel coronavirus.
According to county officials, Osage County COVID-19 cases have almost quadrupled in the last month.
Kim Sallin with the department wrote on Facebook, Osage county last week was leading the state in number of cases per population.
The county is reporting 517 total cases, 90 active cases and 425 recoveries.
The department is reporting they hired new staff and are working tirelessly to get to all the cases.
The department is reporting that tomorrow, contact tracers from the Department of Health and Senior Services will be aiding the Osage County Health Department in our investigations as the current volume is simply too great for our staff to handle in a timely fashion.
The majority of the county's recent cases in the last month have contracted the virus as a result of large events or gatherings where social distancing was not being practiced and masks were not worn. From one gathering, in particular, 25% of reported contacts turned up positive.
In Randolph County, the health department is also reporting one death, the eighth death related to the coronavirus.
According to the dashboard update, the county has 11 fewer active cases which brings the total down to 185.
The county's update includes 13 of the active cases are currently in the hospital, 22 of the new cases are associated with the Moberly Correctional Center and 15 of the new cases are associated with an outbreak at another congregate living facility within the county.
There are 52 new total cases raising the total to 673.
Recoveries are reported rising to 480.
The Moniteau County Health Center reports the tenth death of a Moniteau County resident due to COVID-19.
The resident was in their 60’s.
Miller County reporting COVID-19 death; Montgomery County Health Department changing hours due to case increase
UPDATE 3:45 P.M.: Miller County Health center is reporing the 19 death related to COVID-19.
A death attributed to COVID-19 includes individuals who were identified as a positive COVID-19 case who died as a result of this illness or from a death certificate where COVID-19 was listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death.
According to their dashboard, the county is reporting 48 new cases. That brings the total number of cases in the county to 950.
The county is reporting active cases is up to 148, a 15-percent increaes since Friday.
The dashboard is reporting 25 new recoveries. The county is reporting 783 recoveries since March.
In Montgomery County, the county's health department is reporting an increase in cases is forcing them to change hours beginning Thursday.
The county has not reported new numbers since Friday. But they updated on Oct. 21 and Oct. 23. The difference between last Wednesday and Friday is 29.
Our health department hours will be Monday- Friday 8:30-2:00. This will give staff the opportunity to do case investigations and other work that is required to continue to provide services for residents of Montgomery County.
Officials say once cases start to decrease, they will adjust office hours accordingly.
Jefferson City School District to be closed week of Thanksgiving
UPDATE 2:45 P.M.: The Jefferson City School District will close its buildings for all of Thanksgiving week.
JC Schools Superintendent Tim Linthacum announced the change in a letter to parents Monday.
Schools were already set to be out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday that week. Linthacum wrote that the district will now be out Monday and Tuesday that week.
"Every building across the district will be closed for the week so that all of our staff members have a chance to rest, refuel, and return to 'in-seat' school rejuvenated to continue the semester ahead of winter break," Linthacum wrote.
Thanksgiving is Nov. 26.
The district has experienced some challenges over the last two months after opening up its buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students at Jefferson City's middle schools returned to classes Monday after being out for two weeks because of the number of staff in quarantine.
The district reported 112 students and 77 staff have been infected with coronavirus since the start of school. Another 260 students and 39 staff members have been deemed close contacts of people who tested positive.
Missouri COVID-19 positivity rate hits new high
UPDATE 9:27 A.M.: Missouri's COVID-19 positivity rate hit a new high on Monday, according to data from the state health department.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard said the statewide positivity rate was 22.7%.
By the department's calculation, the rate has been higher than 20% since Oct. 14.
New data posted to the state dashboard said Missouri reported 1,527 cases since Sunday. The health department said the state added five virus-related deaths on Monday going up to 2,810 from 2,805 a day earlier.
Missouri ranked 11th in the nation for new COVID-19 cases over the last week with 11,095 cases reported, according to the dashboard. It included the state was seventh for coronavirus deaths with 65 over the same length of time.
Hospitalization data from the health department said 1,399 were in Missouri hospitals because of COVID-19.
Cole County R-V moving 7-12 grades online
Cole County R-V is moving several grade levels online as of Monday, a post on the district's website said.
District officials said grades 7-12 will remain virtual until Nov. 9.
The website said elementary school students and teachers will have in-person classes on Monday.
Decisions regarding high school sports will be made at a later date, according to the website.
School leaders said hot meals will be available for students in virtual learning. Meals need to be requested before 8:30 a.m. with pickup at 10:45 a.m. behind the elementary school cafeteria.
